Hassan’s phenomenal burst of speed allowed her to edge out world record holder Tigist Asefa, who claimed silver, while Kenya’s Hellen Obiri secured the bronze. Sharon Lokedi finished 4th
What a race! A lineup of the world's greatest women runners culminated in a magical finish in the final kilometer, where Sifan Hassan delivered an electrifying sprint to win gold.
Hassan’s phenomenal burst of speed allowed her to edge out world record holder Tigist Asefa, who claimed silver, while Kenya’s Hellen Obiri secured the bronze. Sharon Lokedi finished just off the podium in fourth place.
Hassan set an Olympic record with a time of 2:22:55, finishing just ahead of world record holder Tigist Asefa, who clocked in at 2:22:58. Obiri achieved a personal best with a time of 2:23:10, while Sharon Lokedi secured fourth place, also with a personal best of 2:23:14.
Defending champion Peres Jepchirchir finished 15th with a time of 2:26:51, while the fourth Kenyan on Team Kenya...
This powerful race featured an elite field towards the final stretch , including world record holder Tigist Asefa, 2023 world champion Amane Shankule, double Olympic champion Sifan Hassan (gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m at Tokyo 2020), double Olympic silver medalist Hellen Obiri, and Sharon Lokedi, who stepped in as Kenya’s late replacement for Brigid Kosgei after an injury forced her out of the Kenyan squad.
Hellen Obiri, known for her silver medals in the 5,000 meters at both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, made a successful transition to the marathon, claiming a bronze medal finish and once again demonstrating her exceptional talent and endurance.
Obiri is also a multiple-time world champion, having won gold in the 5,000 meters at the 2017 World Championships in London and again in 2019 in Doha.
Sifan Hassan, meanwhile, had previously grabbed two bronze medals to her impressive haul at the Paris Olympics, finishing behind Faith Kipyegon in the 5,000 meters and behind Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet in the 10,000 meters who grabbed gold in both races.
At the halfway point of this marathon, with a time of 1:13:22, all the top contenders were still tightly packed, running side by side as they approached the downhill stretch. By the 28-kilometer mark, the Ethiopian duo of Tigist Asefa and Amane Shankule had taken control, reducing the lead group from 20 runners to just six.
On the steep, demanding hill after 28 kilometers, Hellen Obiri briefly struggled, falling a few meters behind the leading pack of four. However, she managed to recover her pace and rejoin the front group, which included three Kenyans and two Ethiopians.
At 33 kilometers, defending champion Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya began to lose ground, trailing the leading pack by about 5 seconds, effectively ending her bid to defend her title as the front group pulled away.
With 6 kilometers remaining, the lead group had been whittled down to five runners, including the sensational Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan, who was on a quest to make history by competing in three long-distance races in a single championship.
Sifan held on behind the leading pack only to deliver her magical finishing sprint to beat the strong field for an exciting finish to the Olympic games.